with James Byrne and Deiah Marie
Reviewed by Trevor Locke
Photographed by Kevin Gaughan
Harry Pentony was the headline act at Firebug on 29th November with two support acts, James Byrne and Deiah Marie. There are some music acts one cannot forget and Harry Pentony is one of them. His presence on the stages of Leicester has been memorable. I recall his sensational performance with Our City Fires in 2017. Even before that, he was in Reckless Youth (launched in 2015) and The Night Crawlers. Before that he played with Eden Avenue right back to the time when he was with Vengeance. An artist who has marked his place in our local music scene for a long time.
James Byrne, a singer from Coventry, is someone who has worked with Harry before. His voice was very good and well articulated. He accompanied himself on the keyboard. An enjoyable act, James captivated the audience with a set of engaging songs. James’s excellent singing provided a strong start to the evening. Very definitely a singer worth seeing again.
Deiah Maria and her band gave us a set of jazzy, funky songs laced with soul and dance influences. Her strong voice carried into the room, getting the audience moving. The four-piece band presented a vibrant set of songs with plenty of stage presence. They went down well with the audience. One musician played the keyboard. The lead singer had a strong voice, and they clearly made vibes with the crowd.
Harry Pentony arrived on stage to cheering from the ample audience. Having decided on a career in music, Harry is going places both as a singer, band leader and song-writer.
We were treated to a delightful set of songs, some of which, Harry told us, had not yet been released in recorded form. Incidentally, the lighting production was done by Jamie Borland. It was a wonderful performance.
Tonight, Harry Pentony’s band included Kieran Langley (they have worked together for many years) on drums and Joseph Greenough on bass, who also provided vocals. I remember when Joe was in Flip Like Wilson, which began life in 2011, a band I was following at the time. He was a fine singer and I remember him on stage at Firebug back in 2015. Full of energy and tuneful. Now a family man, Harry has a substantial track record in live music that few can boast of.
Watch Harry perform Lifeline at the gig:
Listen to Harry Pentony on Soundcloud.